


For Azalea

by robinyourcreator



Category: Moonlight Garden (Webcomic)
Genre: All The Warnings That Apply To Original Work Basically, Diary/Journal, Dubious Consent, F/F, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Other, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:21:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinyourcreator/pseuds/robinyourcreator
Summary: The oldest Flower Maiden at Moonlight Garden makes a record of her life and experiences, hoping to guide the child who will take her place as the Azalea Maiden.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

**_An Introduction_ **

Every child born a Flower Maiden is cursed from birth, with the poison running through their veins that will end their lives before they reach their thirtieth year, and the ever present risk of bringing ruin upon all they meet should that poison ever be released due to… mishandling.

Some maidens are able to hide who they are, to live in the outside world for a time before being brought to the Moonlight Garden. Though such acts carry enormous risk equal to the enormous punishments meted out upon offenders, it is a well known phenomenon. Few mothers can bear the thought of being separated from their children, even their accursed children. 

But no Flower Maiden can be hidden forever; there are no known cases of Flower Maidens being hidden past their First Bloom, and often such Maidens are found as children, despite their parents’ best efforts to spare them from the Garden.

Such Flower Maidens often become the unluckiest and unhappiest of all, forced to watch as all those who loved and hid them are executed for the crimes of harboring a Flower Maiden outside of the Moonlight Garden, flush with bittersweet memories of a world they will never know again. 

Surely, it was to my own and my parents’ good fortune that I was born with a curse that could not be hidden or denied. From the moment the blood of birthing was washed away, it was known that I would be a Flower Maiden, my seed present on my left cheek, like a single red tear, vivid as the blood I’d been born in. 

As the youngest of seven children, my parents wisely turned me over to the authorities rather than risk the lives of their six other children. Before I was given a name of my own, before I had spent even a single day in my mother’s embrace, I was brought to the Moonlight Garden, raised by wet nurses and my fellow _kisaeng,_ whose ranks I would join one day. 

For twenty eight years I have been Jin Daalae, the Azalea Maiden. I will never be anything more. Within a year I will Bloom my last, and I will become nothing at all. Any records of me will be completely erased, my place to be taken by the next cursed child to be born with the Azalea Seed.

It is for you that I write this account, young Daalae. I have asked one of the underage maidens, a Dahlia hardly past her tenth summer, but a responsible and quick-witted little thing already, to pass this on to you when you arrive here. Whenever that may be-- with no records kept of our births and deaths, it is impossible to know how soon a Maiden replaces her predecessor. I know only that in all my years in the Garden, I have never met the same Flower twice while one was yet still living. 

I hope that Dahlia lives a long and happy twenty years or more, and in that time I pray that she will meet you. 

I have no hopes of this journal avoiding the eyes of all our sisters, my dear Daalae-- you will learn quickly that nothing escapes the gossips of the Garden-- but I trust my little charge to keep this safe from those who would seek to destroy it. She is a clever little Dahlia, after all. 

And perhaps with this record, there will be something left of me beyond the petals I will scatter into the wind when I breathe my last. May it be of use to you and all you trust to share it with, little one. 


	2. When You Enter The Garden

Rarely are Flower Maidens brought to the Garden as early as I was, but nearly all Maidens, with only the rarest of exceptions, enter the Garden as small children. As a glorified brothel, many would believe the Garden is no place for children. After all, we Flower Maidens are seen as simple, insipid beings, capable only of lust and depravity.

Such descriptions are far more fitting of the Garden’s clientele than any Flower Maiden. There is nothing more beastly in this world than a highborn woman who has never been told “no.” 

But I digress.

Listen well, little one: even if you were ripped away from the family of your birth, know that a larger one awaits you here. I have had so many more mothers and sisters than I ever could have known otherwise. And I have seen so many of them buried now. 

That is our burden to bear. Our lives are so very short, little one. You will see so many of your family leave you. You will experience entire oceans worth of grief for them. But even though your time with them may be short, always remember: every single Maiden within these walls is your sister. You will be so very loved-- and protected just as fiercely as you are loved.

The poison that runs within your veins is a protection as well, little one, but it will not protect you from the very worst of our Garden’s visitors. Far too many nobles find pleasure in taking liberties with our little sisters, and have extensive experience in taking those liberties as far as they can before they risk triggering a premature Bloom. 

The mistress cannot always be relied upon to punish such beasts. But your sisters, both Maidens and _kisaeng,_ will _always_ protect you. Find a sister who will help and comfort and protect you if you need it, as soon as you can. We of Moonlight Garden may be a family, little Daalae, but no one will begrudge you a favorite.

If you are new to the Garden, your first business is thus: befriend as many of your sisters as you can, young and old. You will need them far more than you can possibly know. And when you are older, be to the little ones what your older sisters were for you. 

Then your true work begins. Your second greatest safety lies in what talents you possess and can nurture in your time here. You must find something, _anything,_ that will set you apart. 

Whatever it is, _you must_ _find it,_ and hone it like a soldier hones their sword. Your sisters can and will protect you as much as they are able to, but such protection will often come only after the fact.

If you have something that sets you apart, that makes you _special,_ whether it be poetry, music, cleverness, or something else-- you will be far safer once you are in Bloom. 

_End Entry 1._

***

_Such tiny hands, such a serious face,_ Daalae mused silently, snapping open her fan and holding it up to hide her smile as she pretended to study the _Baduk_ board.

Across the board sat her opponent, a young girl of ten or eleven, a tight frown on her face far more serious than her age would suggest. The girl’s hand hovered over the board, her fingers still wobbling just the slightest as she tried to hold the black stone in the proper manner. 

The girl shook her head and then finally clunked her stone down on the board. She fidgeted with her braid as she looked to Daalae, eyes shining as she studied her opponent, hoping for some form of reassurance that she had chosen her move well. 

“You’ve improved, Dahlia.” Daalae said, lowering her fan and finally letting herself smile and express her fondness for the little one in front of her. Not the false smile reserved for the mistress or a client, but a real, gentle smile full of warmth. 

Dahlia’s dark eyes lit up, her grin pulling at her entire face as she leaned in excitement. “Really?! Do you mean it, Daalae-unnie?” 

“You know I don’t believe in empty flattery,” Daalae chided, snapping her fan shut and poking it at Dahlia.

“I know!” Dahlia giggled, tipping back onto her knees to avoid Daalae’s fan.

“I’d say you now play at the level of an extremely drunk noblewoman,” Daalae said wryly. 

Dahlia shrieked, “ _Do not!_ I’ve been practicing, and I’ve been _winning,_ too!” 

“Against drunken noblewomen?” Daalae prompted, tilting Dahlia’s chin up with her fan. 

“How should I know if they were drunk or not? They always act like they’re not in their right minds,” Dahlia grumbled. 

“Dahlia,” Daalae warned, tucking her fan away and shuffling around the _Baduk_ board to sit next to her charge. “If you wish to practice, find another _unnie_ if I’m not available. The kinds of games noblewomen play are not for children. They may not always humor you.” 

“So I’m a child when it’s something _I_ want to do, but when it’s a funeral or a procession to the Flower Crypt, I’m a Flower Maiden like the rest of you and need to be put in my place, _unnie_?” Dahlia demanded, her knuckles going white as she balled up her fists in her skirt. 

“You shouldn’t wish for such attentions, little Dahlia,” Daalae said softly, putting a hand on Dahlia’s shoulder. “Not yet.”

_“I know._ I know there are… that there are bad, very bad people who come to the Garden. And that just because I’m small, and smart, and underage, doesn’t mean I’ll be safe. But I want to-- I want to--” Dahlia broke off in a sniffle. 

“What could you possibly want badly enough to endure the company of _nobles_ any more than you have to, little one?” Daalae said, trying to tease a smile out of Dahlia. 

Dahlia hiccuped and laughed, wiping her eyes. “ _Unnie,_ don’t,” she whined. “I’m trying to be serious.” 

Daalae gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Go on, then. I promise I’ll listen.” 

Dahlia nodded appreciatively and took a deep breath as she tried to gather her thoughts. 

“You’re… You’re going to die soon, _unnie._ ” She looked up at Daalae, apologetic. 

Daalae simply nodded, prompting her to go on. 

“I want to… I want to be better. I want to _get_ better. So that I can be as good as you one day. I want to be like you, and I don’t want anyone to forget you--” Dahlia broke off with a sob. 

“And-and-and-and I want to beat you at _Baduk_ first so you’ll know that you didn’t waste your time teaching me!” 

“Time with my favorite little sister could never be a waste, little Dahlia. But I’m not going to be the first _unnie_ you’re going to see die, little one,” Daalae said softly. “And you know that I won’t be the last, either. You’ll find other Flowers to love and to teach you.” 

“But you’ll be the only one I liked so much,” Dahlia sniffled, launching herself at Daalae, crawling into the woman’s lap and throwing small arms around her neck, burying her face in Daalae’s chest. 

They stayed that way for a long time, until Dahlia had cried the very last of her tears. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I really truly enjoyed Moonlight Garden--it was a delightful read, and I blitzed through it all in one sitting. The characters Kang Unnie creates are all fascinating and multidimensional, and the setting, while if given much thought is horrifically dark, is fascinating. But for all I love our POV characters and their relationships, I wondered how we could explore this unique world more-- after all, Dohwa and Hyewon, and even Yunhwa, the only other Flower Maiden we see much of, are women of great privilege, with Dohwa and Yunhwa under Yoonwoo's protection, and Hyewon safe with her secrets and as the heir to the Suh family. So I wondered: what would life for a *normal* Flower Maiden be like? As Dohwa keeps her distance from her fellow maidens, and Hyewon is condescending and insecure when it comes to them, we don't really see what most Flower Maidens are like. 
> 
> So here we are! I hope you all enjoy me attempting to explore that.


End file.
